SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) Stock Price Passes Above 50-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

SLM Corporation (NASDAQ:SLM) shares crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $22.04 and traded as high as $22.64. SLM shares last traded at $22.28, with a volume of 3,506,390 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SLM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Compass Point upgraded SLM from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $22.00 in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on SLM from $32.00 to $29.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on SLM from $26.00 to $22.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $28.00 target price on SLM in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered SLM from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, SLM currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.80.

SLM Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $4.22 billion, a PE ratio of 6.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $22.08 and a 200-day moving average of $24.23.

SLM (NASDAQ:SLM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The credit services provider reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $559.99 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $486.05 million. SLM had a return on equity of 34.80% and a net margin of 26.42%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.40 EPS. SLM has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.100-3.200 EPS. Equities analysts predict that SLM Corporation will post 3.14 earnings per share for the current year.

SLM Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. SLM’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.40%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On SLM

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SLM. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of SLM by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,350 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $627,000 after buying an additional 1,319 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of SLM during the 1st quarter valued at about $263,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of SLM by 33.4% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 547,724 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $16,087,000 after buying an additional 137,285 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of SLM by 118.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,995 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $131,000 after buying an additional 2,164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in shares of SLM by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 36,889 shares of the credit services provider’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after buying an additional 2,109 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.94% of the company’s stock.

SLM Company Profile

SLM Corporation, operating as Sallie Mae Bank, is a leading U.S.-based consumer banking company specializing in education financing and related banking products. The company provides a range of private student loans for undergraduate and graduate studies, Parent PLUS loans, and specialized financing for career and certificate programs. In addition to its core lending services, Sallie Mae offers deposit products including savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and credit cards tailored to students and young adults.

Founded in 1972 as the Student Loan Marketing Association—a government-sponsored enterprise—Sallie Mae was privatized in 2004 and has since focused on expanding its private education loan offerings and digital banking solutions.